National Seniors advocate for a brighter future through Budget Submission

Figures from the Australian Electoral Commission show that 49 percent of voters are aged 50 and over, so Chief Advocate of National Seniors, Ian Henschke, says that Governments need to listen to the needs of this huge demographic as it considers the Budget it will take to the Federal Election.

“We’ll have plenty more to say once an election is called and as we showed at the last election, the grey vote will help determine who gets to live in the Lodge and who is in opposition,” says Mr Henschke.

National Seniors is making a push for the Government to reduce the work rules for pensioners through its ‘Let Pensioners Work’ campaign.

The campaign advocates for pensioners who wish to work more than one day a week, but are “unfairly penalised” by losing fifty cents for every dollar of the pension when they start earning more than $240 a week while also needing to pay income tax.

Mr Henschke says that a change to the Age Pension income test would “not be a burden on the Budget” but would actulaly have the opposite effect.

“If older aged pensioners work more, they pay more in income tax, so they go from being a financial liability in the Government’s eyes to a revenue producing asset,” explains Mr Henschke.

“In Australia only 2.9 percent of aged pensioners work compared to 24.8 percent in New Zealand which allows older people to work regardless of whether they receive the pension or not.”

National Seniors believes Australia should change the labour market as it has been changed in other countries, providing a more liberated approach to older people wishing to work.

Another key area that National Seniors wants to see reflected in the Federal Budget is changing to housing rules that make it harder for older Australians to downsize from their family home.

Mr Henschke explains that 92 percent of older Australians want to remain living in their own home but are finding the family home too dangerous or unsuitable for their ageing needs.

However, if they try to downsize, selling their family home actually has a negative impact on their pension, which has resulted in many older people staying in homes that they are no longer able to maintain.

National Seniors wants this barrier removed so that older Australians can downsize without having to worry about the impact on their Age Pension.

This move could also reduce the amount of older people entering residential aged care because they can no longer live safely in their family home.

Mr Henschke says, “Pensioners who stay in larger homes, no longer suitable to them, have a higher risk of injury or are forced prematurely into residential aged care.”

The last key part of the submission is National Seniors’ support of a greener future for all.

The organisation says a majority of its members (85 percent) want to leave a greener future for their children and grandchildren, so it is advocating to see that change on a Government level.

“Our members tell us not only do they believe in climate change, but they are willing to make changes to help reduce its impact,” says Mr Henschke.

The budget submission is calling on the Government to create Clean Energy Bonds which would allow for older Australians to invest in green infrastructure projects.

These bonds would be guaranteed in the same way bank deposits are, providing seniors with a safe savings option that supports clean energy initiatives.

Any returns from this would then be paid back to the senior investors through their Centrelink fortnightly.

Other policy changes National Seniors is asking for include a simpler retirement system and improved access to care at home services.

To view the full Federal Budget Submission, head to the National Seniors website.